Induced Silence
by NegaDot
Summary: An entire town is dead and Gray hasn't come home. Team Natsu investigates and finds a new dragon slayer who might know how to find him. Now if only she'll stop causing problems long enough to actually help.
1. Chapter 1

Induced Silence

Natsu, Happy, Lucy, and Erza carefully combed the streets. Something had gone horribly wrong. Gray never returned from his last contract and now Juvia was gone, too. She had gone after him first and left the group far behind. A dark energy lingered over the abandoned city where they now searched. Unnatural clouds blocked the sun, casting shadows everywhere. The residents were dead; All of them. Cool weather prevented a smell, but bodies littered the scene. Men, women, children, and even infants had fallen in the streets, homes, and shops. No visible trauma was noticeable. "What happened here?", asked Lucy, uneasy. She glanced to her friend, but Erza had a distant, steely gaze. The city itself seemed unmarked. Who could have done this and why? Across town, Natsu was getting nowhere fast. He stood over the corpse of a little girl, silent and solemn. Happy stared at the ground, unable to comment.

A sound nearby caught the girl's attention. Something had fallen over, but there was no breeze present. Erza quickly took point, ready to defend her comrade. Another loud noise. Lucy watched closely as the skittering wooden crate that had landed on the street. With a deliberate sword swing, the wood cracked open. A young woman covered her head in shock. "I'm sorry! Don't eat me!", she yelled. Pale, minty green hair covered her face. She was about their age, so Erza lowered her blade and extended a hand. Slowly, the shaken girl peeked out from under her arms. "You're not going to eat me?", she inquired cautiously. Erza offered a kind grin and helped her up. "Why would we want to eat you?", asked Lucy, approaching the stranger. The girl dusted herself off and looked around the ruined city. "That's what happened to everyone else", she stated. Offering a hand, the girl smiled. "You must be here to help, then." Erza nodded. "I'm Erza and this is Lucy. We're mages from Fairy Tail. Can you tell us what happened here?" The girl shuddered. "Can we eat first? I'm starving", she whined. The girls offered her what rations they had and sat to talk. The girl rambled for what seemed like forever about everything, but what had actually happened. Having enough, Erza slammed down her scabbard. The girl took her the mean stare and sighed, "Soul stealers." Lucy glanced betwixt the two and said, "Come again?" The girl wiped her mouth and repeated, "Soul stealers. You know, misty looking buggers, suck the life out of you." After pausing to belch, she added, "I'm Yonaguni, by the way."

Before anything else could be asked, footsteps approached. Yonaguni sniffed the air carefully. "One of yours?", she inquired. Lucy called out and waved Natsu down. He was following their scent. He was a little surprised and relieved to see someone with them. That meant someone survived. As they drew nearer, Erza noted a change in their strange new companion. Her posture altered, her eyes narrowed. It looked like she was ready to attack. "What are you - ?", she began. Cutting her off, Yonaguni took off full speed at Natsu, tackling him to the ground in surprise. Pinned, he looked up in surprise as she thoroughly sniffed him. "One way to know for sure", she said. He didn't have a chance to ask what she meant. By the time Lucy and Erza had rushed over, Yonaguni had grabbed Natsu by the scarf and had him in a firm lip lock. The girls and Happy stood in shock. Releasing him just as easily, she took a deep breath of relief. "Yup", she beamed, "You taste like dragon. I thought I smelled it on you!" Taking a moment to shake the "What just happened?" look from his face, Natsu got up and dusted off. "Are all the locals this friendly?", he teased. He quickly reeled in the humor upon seeing Lucy's fiery stare. Clearing his throat, he added, "So, you are?" and offered a hand. "Yonaguni", replied the strange girl before squeezing the daylights out of him. She only let go after hearing a few ribs pop. "Fear not, fellow dragon slayer, I won't let them eat you." Happy tried to hide a snicker. This new person was amusing. Natsu's polite smile dropped and was replaced by a huge grin. "You're a dragon slayer?!", he asked excitedly. She stood proudly atop a nearby rock and tried to pose heroically. Lucy sighed. "Great, now there's two of them", she thought.

Happy cheered the girl on. Upon seeing him, Yonaguni's bravado stopped dead. "CAT!", she hissed, darting behind Erza. "I'm not a cat. I'm an exceed", offered Happy. "That's okay, then", said the girl as she did her best to pretend none of that had happened. "Don't all dragon slayers have an exceed?", inquired Lucy. "Nah", replied Yonaguni, "I have two." "Two?", repeated Erza, having lost control of the situation. "Twins", beamed the girl. Her golden eyes shined with every word and her tanned skin shimmered bronze even with the cloud cover. Straightening her clothes, she added, "Exceeds are awesome. Cats not so much." Erza sighed, but decided not to get into the details. Camp was set for the night. They cooked what they could find in the houses nearby and talked at length. "Gray, huh?", asked Yona, her cheeks full of food. "And Juvia", added Lucy. "What do they do?", she inquired. "Gray's an ice mage", offered Erza. Yona seemed uninterested. "Juvia's a water mage", added Natsu, amused at the disinterest in his rival. Yona's eyes gleamed, she stopped chewing. "Did you say water?", she asked, food dripping from her mouth. Everyone nodded. "We should find her. Water's awesome. Swimming, surfing, diving, did I say surfing?", rambled Yona. "So that's your specialty", grinned Erza. Yona had seen Natsu light the fire, so she didn't need to ask, but she had never stated her own dragon magic. "The sea to be specific. I learned from Llyr. He was epic", she explained. On a more random note, she added, "That's why I hate cats. They're always after my fish. I caught it, dammit, it's mine!" The group chuckled as Happy munched away at the salmon they had found.

Trying to steer the conversation, Erza asked, "So why were you out here all alone?". "I was looking for my friends", replied Yonaguni, finally done stuffing her face. "The exceeds?", offered Lucy. Yona nodded. "Rani and Ronen. They do pretty good on their own, but with the soul stealers around, I got worried. This place was decimated before I got here. I figured I'd get a better view from the roof. That's when I saw you guys. I was going to flag you down, but I kind of fell into that box and yeah...Wow, that was embarrassing", she chuckled. Natsu darted a look to Erza for explanation, but let let it drop when she shook her head. "What the hell's a soul stealer?", he asked bluntly. "You guys aren't from around here, are you?", said Yona. Pausing to think about it, she added, "No, I suppose not. We don't have any guilds around here." "None at all?", asked Lucy, surprised. "Not since Llyr sat on that old, abandoned one", she ventured. Natsu couldn't hold it. Yona took no offense to his laughter, instead joining in. "It was pretty funny. I like you. Most mages I've met are so stuck up. They're all 'look at me, I'm special. I have magic' and then BAM! I hit 'em with a rouge wave. Not so high and mighty when they look like drowned rats", she sniggered.

Bringing them back to focus, Erza repeated, "The soul stealers?". Giving in, Yona finally answered her. "Some people call them mist walkers, demons, or angry ghosts. They're no ghosts, they're solid enough when you get close. Tall mother f*ckers, too", she supplied. "The generally only come out at night or when it rains", she said, glancing at the enclosing storm clouds. "When it rains?", repeated Happy nervously. "They've always been around", shrugged Yona. A sneaky grin on her lips, she added, "Yeah, especially when it rains. They wait until your asleep and then they're right in your face!", she shouted, close to Happy. He threw his arms up and cried out in terror. Yona laughed until she fell over. Lucy huddled the exceed close and gave the girl a stern look. "All right, princess, I get it", she sighed, resuming her seat. "Princess?", repeated Lucy, slightly offended. Yona stretched deeply. "I'm just saying...There might be a rouge wave with your name on it. That's all", she taunted. Going back to business, she explained, "The soul stealers have always been around. It's just part of life around here...But their feeding has become erratic." "What do you mean?", inquired Erza. Yona sighed. "Well, it used to be maybe one or two people every few months, but now...Well, look around. I've never seen so many of them in one place before. It's like somehow they got organized. They were more animalistic before, just hungry wraiths. Now it's like they're running an annihilation campaign." Everyone silently processed things. "They even took the cattle and animals at the end of town", said Erza. "And that's new, too. They've never touched livestock before", added Yona.

It began to rain. The fire hissed as it died. Grabbing Natsu's arm, Yona said, "Come on. There's lots of room in the church. I already buried the people that were in there." The group relocated, glad to be somewhere dry. It poured outside. It rained so hard, you couldn't see the buildings across the street. Thunder and lightning clashed overhead, shaking the old church's foundations. Eventually, Lucy and Happy settled in for the night despite the raging weather. Yona stared out the window, smiling at the rain. "I take it you like storms", offered Erza. "I'm a sea dragon, why wouldn't I? The nastiest storms occur over the ocean. It's a storm like this that brought me to Llyr.", she replied reminiscently. A few moments of quiet passed between the girls. "So, does the princess have ownership of the dragon?", she asked bluntly. Taken aback, Erza calmly said, "That's a bit complicated." "Game on", smirked Yona. Erza left her to her plotting and bedded down for the night. When Yona rejoined the group, everyone was out cold. She glanced back at the shutters once more and whispered, "Be safe guys", before going to sleep herself.

To be continued...

Want to know more about Yona? look here!

art/OC-info-new-Yonaguni-481624502


	2. Chapter 2

Induced Silence, chapter 2

When morning broke, the storm had dwindled to a drizzle. Yonaguni had already left the church by the time everyone began to stir. They found her easily. She was doing some form of tai chi in the yard. "I was wondering when you guys would get up", she teased. Natsu stretched deeply, still hazy. "What's the rush?", he yawned. "I think I spotted your friend", replied Yona. "How can you be sure?", inquired Erza. Finished with her routine, Yona turned to face them. "Icebergs aren't a normal thing around here", she said bluntly. "Iceberg?", repeated Lucy in disbelief. The group followed the girl toward the beach nearby. Sure enough, a rather large chunk of ice had washed ashore over night. Yona wiped off the surface and peered hard inside. "He's not alone", she reported. "Juvia?", asked Erza, also trying to peer in. Natsu cracked his knuckles and smirked, "I got this." A flash of fire and the ice started to melt. As it did, a scene became visible. Gray had frozen himself mid-struggle. A small ventilation shaft supplied his air throughout the night. His opponent was dead. When the ice split, the two fell backward from each other. Gray gasped for air and tried to gain his bearings. Yona stepped forward and stared down at the fallen soul stealer. It's misty cloak had fled, leaving a grayish skeletal looking creature. "Gnarly", she said, crouching close.

Erza kneeled beside her comrade. "Are you all right?", she asked with concern. After a few coughs, Gray assured, "I'm fine." Getting to his feet, he peered on in interest at the stranger prodding the dead beast with her sandal. "What is that?", asked Lucy with disgust. "Are you sure it's dead?", added Happy nervously. "It better be", said Gray, striding toward the creature. Yona glanced up. "You must be Ice-boy", she ventured with a grin. He offered a hand to help pull her to her feet. "Gray. And you are?" She shook his hand with a pleasant smile. "Yonaguni." Erza stepped up to inspect the carcass. Lucy took the liberty of adding, "We met her yesterday." By this time, Natsu had also crouched near the beast and looked over it curiously. "What are you guys doing out here, anyway?", asked Gray. "We came looking for you", replied Lucy. Erza turned and inquired, "Have you seen Juvia?". Gray tried to hide 'oh crap, she's here, too' look, but failed. Yona stepped close to him sideways and taunted, "Angry girlfriend?". "Hardly", scoffed Gray. He took the chance to get a good look at their new comrade. She was kind of cute, but a little off. He looked over to meet her gaze, but she wasn't there. A sudden noise gave away her location. She and Natsu held each other's wrists, facing one another as if preparing to jump on the carcass. "Knock it off!", yelled Erza. All joking aside, the group studied what Gray had managed to kill.

"I told you", sighed Yona. Whatever this thing was, it had an unnatural anatomy. It was at least seven feet tall and ridiculously thin. It appeared as if the body didn't even have enough sinew to move itself about. "You were lucky", she nodded toward Gray. She knew the attack position of things well enough and he'd manage to freeze it solid just as it tried to take his life. He related the the story of how he ended up like that. He'd managed to gather a few survivors and they were too terrified to travel by foot, so they had gone to the docks to sail to the next village. A stray soul stealer had followed them and Gray defended the villagers as was his duty. He'd been hired to eradicate the creatures, but the contract itself gave little information. He figured it to be an elaborate prank or some kind of cover for a greater scheme. He was wrong. He was unlucky enough to witness an attack the first night he'd been there. now, the village had been wiped off the map. Yona grew quiet as he spoke, seemingly withdrawing from the world. Eventually, Lucy asked, "Are you okay?". That question shifted the focus of the group. "I'm fine", retorted Yona before running off. After a moment of silence, Erza said, "She's grown up around these things, Gray. Don't take it personal." He nodded. Perhaps the details of what had transpired struck a note deep within the girl. "Should we go after her?", asked Happy with concern. "I'll go", volunteered Gray. He walked off in the direction she had run without argument. Natsu stared at the ground in silence. He had an idea of what this was all about.

Down the beach, Gray glanced around for traces of Yona. Passing a tidal pool, he was surprised to see her at the bottom of it, staring up at the sky. Note knowing who exactly she was, he reached in to 'save' her, but instead got a huge column of sea water in his face that ended up knocking him to the ground. When he'd cleared the seaweed from his eyes, Yona stood before him, staring solemnly. "What he hell was that for?!", he coughed. Surprisingly, a friendly hand awaited him. When she helped him to his feet, she took a moment to stare into his eyes. Gray stared back, unsure of her next move. "Now we're even", she said, releasing his hand. He looked at her questioningly, but she simply walked passed him back toward the group. She sat silently as everyone looked to her for answers. Natsu tried hide his sniggering at the sight of his drenched companion. "BAM! Rogue wave!", echoed in his mind. He begrudgingly took his place in silence as well after glaring at his rival. Erza let a few minutes of quiet pass before clearing her throat. "So, Yona here is the sea dragon slayer and our only local link", she began. Gray gave her a look that said, "No kidding?". Yonaguni cut in with a heavy sigh. "Yes, I have a history with these things. You don't have to ask", she muttered. Natsu offered a kind grin her way, trying to reduce the pressure. "What happened?", asked Lucy. "I saw a raid a lot like this when I was a kid. A dragon doesn't raise a kid that has healthy parents around, you know", she replied. Natsu's instinct was right on the money. "I thought you said an attack of this magnitude was unusual", offered Erza. "It is, but not unheard of. They're just becoming more common now...", trailed Yona. "What can you tell us?", inquired Gray. "Well", she sighed. Before she could continue, a shout caught everyone's attention. "Gray-sama!" He hung his head in defeat. Juvia soon came into view, running happily toward her lost 'lover'. "Gray-sama! Juvia's so happy you're safe!", she cried, tears of relief flowing freely. Yona smirked at the scene. It was clearly a one-sided love affair.

Juvia hugged Gray tightly despite the 'go way' look on his face. "Juvia was so worried!", she said as she squeezed him hard. Having had enough, he pushed her affections to the side. "Enough already! I'm fine!". It seemed that Juvia had just now realized that they were not alone. Erza had a 'how dare you run off' glare awaiting her. "Juvia, where have you been?", asked Lucy. Happy sat with Yona and watched it all unfold as if they were merely waiting on popcorn. Fiddling nervously with her fingers, she replied, "Juvia wanted to go ahead. Gray-sama could have been hurt." "You got lost, didn't you?", taunted Natsu. "No one was here, so Juvia scouted ahead", she said lamely. "Don't run off on your again", said Erza firmly. Juvia nodded. Catching a brief glimpse of what was now under a sheet, she took a step back. "Don't worry, your popsicle killed it", said Yona. Juvia turned to glare. A female voice was talking about Gray. "Popsicle?", snorted Natsu, trying not to laugh. "Well sure", shrugged Yona. "He uses ice magic, he's cold to the girl that likes him and she's only interested in his sti-". "That's enough!", interrupted Erza. Both Juvia and Gray turned red. It was clear this girl was not afraid to speak her mind. "I like spicy stuff myself", she added, winking at Natsu. Going rigidly matter-of-fact, Lucy said, "So what are we going to do about these creatures?". "Llyr always said there was a stone that held the local myths somewhere off the coast. He never said if it was under water or where it was though. I looked, but never found it", supplied Yona. "Llyr?", echoed Gray. "The sea dragon", stated Erza. Juvia took another look at the girl. If she was a water mage, too, maybe she wasn't so bad. "I can always take you guys to the temple", said Yona, pointing up a steep cliff path. "That sounds like a good place to start", said Lucy. "We'll get a good view of the land from up there, too", added Erza. "And maybe we'll spot your friends!", chimed Happy. "Maybe", muttered Yona, a small grin appearing. She did want find the exceeds desperately. They were her only family. "Then it's settled", stated Erza, "Let's move out while it's relatively dry." The group picked up what little they had brought and burned the body of the so called soul stealer before moving on. Hopefully, the temple would yield something useful.

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

Induced Silence, chapter 3

The group had been traversing the narrow path toward the temple for what seemed like hours. Lucy's legs were killing her. Happy decided it easier to ride on Natsu's head, though he, too, panted. The air was thick with humidity. That rain, the clouds, and the sea made for a mist that clinged to every move. Yona led on, happily ignorant to the pains of the others. She'd run this road many times in her life. Walking it was easy. Finally atop the cliffs, everyone sat to rest. Despite protests of safety, Yona sat at the edge, dangling her legs over the steep rock face. She felt no fear here. Erza ran her hands over the stones, looking for a way in. The entire temple seemed cut off from the outside world. After resting, Lucy inspected the building, as well, intrigued by the glyphs that decorated the walls. Erza called for their new ally. "How do we get in?", she asked. "There's a system of caves from the sea", replied Yona, "And a small opening up top." Erza nodded. "Juvia, do you think you could slip through that?". Juvia stepped up and peered at the opening in question. She could easily transform to water to fit through. "Juvia will need a boost", she said, shyly blushing toward Gray. "Up you go then!", shouted Yona, boosting her ass first into the air. "Waahhh! This is not what Juvia meant!", she cried. "Stop your bitching and pull yourself up", snorted Yona. A moment later, she was in. As she searched for a way to open the massive stone door, the others avoided the subject of Yona's tactics. "Hey, Gray", she called. He looked to her in question, afraid to ask. "She's got a firm ass. I'd go for it if I were you", she stated. As Gray's jaw dropped, so moved the door to the temple. Juvia stepped forward, coughing the dust of the ages from her lungs.

Letting things drop, they made their way inside, Natsu providing their light at the front of the group. The place was no labyrinth. They easily found a large, central chamber. Upon setting foot on the floor, torches around the dome lit up. Erza went first with caution. The far wall housed a massive stone mural. It showed the creatures seemingly meeting humans for the first time. Livestock was given and it looked like they shared peace. A large piece of the mural had been badly damaged. Unable to make anything out, she went to the next section. The creatures and the humans upset with each other. Then, the creatures left, leaving a pile of corpses behind. Lucy inspected the stone in fascinated horror. Had all of this really happened? Despite himself, Gray had to admit that Yona had gotten under his skin and tried to keep himself from glancing toward Juvia. "Over here!", hollered Happy. At the end of the mural, a carving a praying woman floated over the humans and the creatures bowed to her peacefully. "What does it mean?", asked Lucy. Taking a break from picking her nose, Yona replied, "That's their queen." Everyone turned to her for answers. "I can't say I remember all of the details, but the legend goes something like - A pure maiden was sent as a peace offering, the intention being death or marriage. Something about the skies cleared and all was well or some crap like that. Anyway, that was along time ago. Those soul sucking bastards haven't had a queen for centuries." Natsu stared at the stone work. Noticing he wasn't paying attention, as usual, Lucy stepped over to get him. Happy, too, seemed have the same confused look on his face. Both boys cocked their heads to one side in thought. Lucy looked closer. "No way", she muttered. "What is it?", inquired Erza. Everyone had a turn to look and each came to the same conclusion. The creature's queen in the mural looked just like Juvia.

"Think we can use that?", asked Yona. Juvia was too busy imagining herself as royalty being served by Gray to listen. "Maybe", said Erza, deep in thought. She wouldn't risk a comrade, but it might explain why Juvia hadn't seen any of the creatures the entire time she was out on her own. "Listen up", called Erza, "We need to get back to town and see if we can find any books referring to this." "But it's such a long walk", whined Natsu, tired, hungry, and bored. Yona handed him a torch with a smile. "Here you go, hot stuff." He gladly devoured the flames. "It'll take time to locate the library without help", said Lucy, staring at Yona. "Nah, it's in the middle of town. Easy", stated Yona, ignoring the stare. "I know a shortcut", she added proudly. "Do you?", said Gray, trying to get his mind off things. "Sure!" She walked over to the edge of the room and bent a rod that was sticking out from some ornate statue. A large hole opened in the center of the floor. Peering down, Happy said, "That's a lot of stairs." "Yeah, but you can glide down", offered Yona. "What about the rest of us?", inquired Natsu. "Do you always have to make things to hard? There's water at the bottom", she replied. "Are you crazy?! Falling that many stories down would break your legs!", exclaimed Lucy. "Pssh, I've done it lots of times", grumbled Yona. "Okay, but you're - ", began Lucy. Interrupting abruptly, Yona shouted, "You first, princess!" and gave her a firm shove. She screamed the whole way down. "See you at the bottom", winked Yona and jumped in after her. A few nervous glances were passed and the others followed suit. Snapping from her reverie, Juvia had no idea why they were falling, but pretended to be scared and reached for Gray, who, in turn, turned his body to fall faster.

At the bottom of the opening, one by one, the fairies swam to the surface and gasped for air. Happy landed lightly on the rocks nearby, glad he wasn't wet, too. "Is everyone all right?", inquired Erza. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the low light, but sunlight could be seen in the distance. "I'm fine", replied Yona, calmly swimming on her back. Shaken, Lucy glared at her, but held her tongue. Natsu was first from the water and wrung out his scarf. "Nice shortcut", he teased. Once everyone fished themselves from the sea pool, Yona led them down a path toward the light. Halfway down, Lucy grasped her arm, allowing the others to go on ahead. "What's your problem with me?", she asked. "I don't have a problem", replied Yona, reclaiming her arm. Lucy was steaming inside. Yona took two steps, then stopped at turned back toward her. "You know what problem is? Everyone else here seems legit enough. You don't. You're weak as far as I can tell." "Weak?", repeated Lucy. "Yeah, weak. Look at you. You're a mess. You'd be helpless without those keys." Lucy unwittingly grasped her pouch. "How did you know I -?" Yona scoffed. "They're not hard to spot and I haven't seen you contribute one thing since we've all teamed up. I could wrestle you to the ground one handed." Lucy stood in shock at the barrage. "For that matter, what do you know about me? Maybe my problem isn't with you specifically, but what you represent...I take that back. You are my problem. Have ever had to hold your breath for seven minutes while you wrestled an octopus? Or punched a shark? Hell, I bet you can't even tell Natsu how you really feel." Lucy stared at the ground hard. Silence drifted in, then she softly said, "You're right. I haven't done any of those things, but that doesn't mean you know me." She raised her face, locking a tense stare with Yona. "You don't know who I am or what I've been through to get here. So don't you dare judge me." Yona shifted her weight with a smirk. Playfully patting Lucy's arm, she said, "Maybe there's hope for you yet." Slightly amused, she walked on to meet the others who had stopped ahead and were waiting. When everyone was back together, Lucy stalked quickly passed the group, pacing herself ahead, determined to prove herself. She'd only paused to glare at Natsu briefly. Confused, he said, "What did I do?". Yona idly walked by and said, "Eh, she's just PMS-ing." Erza hung her head in her hand while the others blushed or simply started walking. This was going to be a long trip.

A little later on, everyone spread out in the sprawling library. Lucy was glad to have the books around. It helped ease the tension. Happy helped collect possible titles of interest from the high shelves, dropping them into the waiting arms of his friends. Yona leafed through a few tomes, but was more interested in watching Lucy. Maybe she just needed a little prodding to shine. After all, Lucy reminded her of someone. Maybe that's why she was being so hard on her. She tried to tell herself it was the rivalry over Natsu, but she also suspected she only liked him because he was a dragon slayer like her. Erza was simply glad for the relative silence. At the other end of the building, Gray and Natsu were competing to see who could read the most book the fastest while Juvia cheered on her love. She hoped they'd find something useful, anything, really. Then, there it was. A fairy tale about the 'fallen', the soul stealers, and how they had come to be. Pressing on, she found a reference to some sort of cavern that housed their nest. She wanted to find out more about their queen, but the following pages had been destroyed. Still, it was a start. Calling over her comrades, they each took a turn reading the tome. Discussions flowed for quiet some time. Yona had been sitting quietly for once during most of the conversation, but she finally spoke up. Rising from her seat atop a nearby table, she said, "I think I know of a place that might fit that description." All eyes were once more upon her. "Llyr flew me over the countryside once. Out east is some rough terrain. It could potentially hide a cavern like that...Probably." "Then let's check it out!", supplied Natsu, itching to fight one of the creatures. "Hold on", said Erza, "If it is their nest, there could be thousands of them. We need to be careful." Gray smirked, "We can take 'em. They're not that tough." Natsu snorted and mumbled, "Says the guy who froze himself to safety." They were at it again. Juvia and Yona cheered on their sides while Lucy and Erza planned for the next leg of their journey.

To be continued...


	4. Chapter 4

Induced Silence, chapter 4

Team Natsu followed their new comrade out of town and toward the hills. The terrain was uneven and rocky, making progress slow. The sun was finally coming out, breaking up the cloud cover. Glancing up, Yonaguni said, "Sweet! That'll warm up the swim hole ahead." "Do we really have time for a swim break?", asked Lucy. "There's always time for a swim break!", proclaimed Yona. "A little exercise, a little fun, and a chance to show off the goods!", she stated proudly. "What's the matter, princess? Shy? We can just get that out the way. Natsu! Come over here and slap her ass!" "What?!", exclaimed Lucy, blushing brightly. Yona snickered at the discomfort she had once again caused. "What? No good? You can always slap mine instead", she ventured, trying to contain her laughter. "Let's just go", sighed Erza, pressing forward. An hour or two later, the lake came into view. Despite the tensions, everyone was impressed at how easily Yona managed to catch fish. One by one, the slippery creatures flew from the surface of the water toward the waiting group. After eating their fill, everyone scattered about to relax. Lucy had gone off to the edge of the area where Erza followed to have a talk about their guest. Gray and Natsu were taking turns skipping stones over the water, each trying to out do the other. Yona snored loudly in the middle of everything leaving Juvia to her own devices.

Deep in the sea dragon slayer's subconscious, memories invaded her dreams. The past seemed like it had only just happened. The young girl sat her mother's feet, playing with her doll. Her mother silently knitted in her chair. Her father was due home from work any time now and her older sister was nose deep in her latest novel. The door swung open and in strolled her worn father. "Papa!", cried her sister, rushing forward to great him. Yona watched in silence, blushing faintly. She adored her sibling. They were several years apart, but that just showed how much smarter and more refined her sister was in comparison. Her sister could read, sing, dance, even play piano. Yona, on the other hand, was barely four and seemed to tumble through life. She hated the pigtails her mother braided into her hair each morning, wanting instead to go wrestle with the boys down the street. She watched everyone go about their business as usual. When night had fallen, her sister tucked her in. "What do you want me to read to you tonight, Yonachan? How about 'Sleeping Beauty'?" Yona eyed her sibling suspiciously. "Is that another princess story?", she asked cautiously. Her sister chuckled and smiled kindly. "Yes, but it also has an evil witch", she assured. Yona begrudgingly agreed. As she drifted off to sleep, she watched her sister's graceful lips speak eloquently. The last bit of light from the lantern always reflected off of her necklace as she kissed her little sister goodnight. What was that stupid pendant anyway? For once, it took shape. It looked like a key...

Back in reality, Gray tapped Yona's face. "Wake up. We need to get moving." Sitting up with a yawn, she glanced toward Lucy. Shaking the dreams from her mind, she let Gray help her to her feet. "I thought your hands would be colder", she stated sleepily. "Juvia's hands could be warmer", said the water mage, blushing. "That's why you have pockets", noted Gray. With a smirk, Yona stepped close to Juvia and whispered something in her ear. Gray shook his curiosity at Juvia's now beet red face and walked ahead. "Juvia can't do that", she stammered. Yona simply shrugged. "Just a suggestion. Who knows? It might get his attention." Once everyone was prepared, they pressed on. It would be at least a day before they reached the caverns.

That night, the group sat around their camp fire. Without the buildings to block the wind, it was getting pretty cold. Yona stared at the flames intently. Happy looked on in interest. Turning abruptly, she said, "Dance with me!" "Eh?" She swept the feline up and moved about the fire fluidly, her movements mimicking the flames. "That was random", smirked Gray. "Don't be a hater. I dance with my friends all of the time", retorted Yona, still enraptured by an inaudible rhythm. "It's really not the same without their music", she sighed. "Your exceeds play music?", inquired Erza. Not missing a step, Yona replied, "Ronen does. He has a fiddle that he totally rocks out on. Rani sings like an angel." Erza smiled softly to herself. Despite all of the trouble Yona had stirred up, she still missed her friends deep down. Noticing Lucy shiver, Natsu passed over his beloved scarf. He was warm enough without it, after all. "When was the last time you saw them?", he asked. Yonaguni finally paused, holding Happy tightly to her chest. "Almost a week ago", she said softly. With a sigh, she returned the exceed to the ground and took a seat. Placing a gentle paw on her knee, he offered, "I'm sure you'll find them soon." Yona gave a faint grin and patted his head. Without warning, a strange sound belted out from the shadows. "What was that?!", asked Lucy, hiding behind Natsu. "Soul stealers", replied Yona calmly. Erza drew her sword and stared into the night. "How many?", she asked. Yona shrugged, "No more than three." The sound echoed across again. It was hollow and harsh on the ears. It literally scratched its way into your mind. "Shouldn't we do something?", inquired Lucy, still unnerved. Yona lilted her head, listening carefully. "Doesn't sound like they're coming this way", she offered. "Guess that one didn't get the memo", said Gray, eying an approaching shadow. Mist flowed into the fire light. The creature was huge, at least nine feet in height. It loomed over Erza. She took a swing at it, but her blade seemed to simply pass through the beast. Its eyes glowed not with rage, but with anticipation. It was staring at Juvia. "What do we do, Gray-sama?", she whispered. Before anyone else could react, Yona stepped in front of the demon and stared it down. Slowly, it's eyes focused on her. A strange sound emanated from the creature. Everyone but the water mages covered their ears in pain. Juvia panicked over Gray. Yona simply kept staring. When the noise stopped, everyone looked up, ready to fight. A dark energy seemed to drift into the area. Then, the creature fell dead to the ground. Fluids oozed from what could be referred to as ears. Stepping near the corpse, Natsu, inquired, "What did you do?". "What was that awful noise?", added Lucy, still clutching one ear. Erza sheathed her blade and waited for answers. "Well?" Yona looked to Juvia who nodded in agreement. "That 'noise' was it trying to communicate", explained Yona. Gray glanced to Juvia. "Did either of you understand it?" Yona shook her head. "It's dead now. Let's get some sleep." Happy stood behind Lucy's leg, carefully watching the beast for movement.

An hour later, most of the group was sound asleep. Lucy laid close to Erza, Happy between them. Yona flicked some dead grass into the fire. Juvia watched her closely. "How did you kill it?" Yona smirked. "You haven't figured it out?" Juvia slowly shook her head. "You and me, we're water mages, right?" Juvia nodded. "Living creatures all have water in their bodies", stated Yona. Juvia's eyed grew wide. "You didn't..." Yona gave her knowing grin. "You should be able to do it, too." Juvia shuddered. She didn't like the idea of manipulating an opponent's blood, let alone imploding their brains. Her smile fading, Yona turned back to the fire. "You do what you have to in order to survive out here." Silence drifted in and soon enough they, too, passed into dreams.

The next morning, Natsu yawned. Only when he went to stretch did he realize someone was leaning onto him. Craning his neck, he spotted Yona. She'd wrapped one arm over his torso and snuggled in close. Unsure exactly why, his vision darted toward Lucy. She was watching in silence, folding up her blankets. Carefully dislodging his 'guest', he tried to act casually. Approaching his team mate, he said, "Lucy, you're up early." She ignored him. Clearing his throat, he tried again. "Did you sleep well?" Slowly pausing her work, she said, "I didn't know you two were such good friends already." He glanced back to Yona who had now fully claimed his bed, unsure what to say. "What? That? I didn't even notice her." Erza interrupted further dialogue, approaching with a pair of fresh rabbits. "Natsu, you're up. Get the fire back up, will you?". He nodded and followed her, knowing he couldn't say anything to fix the tension with Lucy. Why was she mad, anyway?

Hours later, the group made it to the mouth of the valley. Bizarre crystals stuck up from the rocks. Natsu thought they were cool while Yona had seen them before and was uninterested. Everyone else remembered Asra and how they had almost lost their friend. "Natsu, don't touch that!", snapped Erza. Unaware of what was causing the group's unease, Yona said, Come on. It's not far now." They pressed on. A few hundred yards into the valley, a network of caves became visible. Openings and crevices dotted the landscape. That horrible sound from the night before echoed around them. Happy nervously rode on Natsu's shoulder, ready to hide under his scarf at a moment's notice. Juvia huddled close to Gray who did his best to ignore her again encroaching on his space. Erza scanned the area carefully. It was possible they were in the midst of the nest. Natsu focused on a weak scent he'd picked up from the breeze. "You caught it, too?", inquired Yona. He nodded. "What is it?", asked Lucy. "It smells like death", replied Natsu grimly. "Everyone stay close", said Erza. They moved slowly, but cautiously. At a split in the path, they decided it best to follow Natsu's nose. It hadn't steered them wrong yet. As they continued, he started to cover his nose with a sickly expression. Yona said, "It smells like rotten eel guts out here", making a face of her own. They ultimately came to the end of the path. Two caverns lay before them. The smell was too strong to differentiate now. "They likely both lead down", stated Erza. "It doesn't look like the paths are connected", observed Lucy. "Should we split up?", asked Yona. Glances were exchanged. It was dangerous prospect. Eventually, they decided. Erza, Yona, and Gray would take the left path. Natsu, Lucy, Juvia, and Happy would take the right. "Be careful down there", said Erza. Natsu nodded. It was time to face the depths.

To be continued...


	5. Chapter 5

Induced Silence, chapter 5

The trail was steep, leading into the earth. Erza led her trio while Natsu lit the way for his group. Yona seemed to have no trouble navigating in the darkness, which bothered Gray. First she'd stared down the beasts, then seemed to communicate, now this. How could he be certain she wasn't leading them toward their doom? Just then, Erza and Gray both stopped dead with a firm hand from Yona on their belts. They had almost walked straight into a dead fall. Rubble crumbled in front of them. No one heard it hit bottom. Regaining her balance, Erza thanked Yona. "How did you know that was there?", inquired Gray. "You don't hide your suspicions well, Popsicle", she replied. He hated being called that. "You're right, I've been here before. I climbed out of that pit once. Besides, I'm used to low light from diving so much." "How?", asked Erza, still listening for the echo of the stones. Yona lead them down an adjacent path and explained, "I fell. It was just after those things killed my parents. My sister tried to hide us, not realizing what this place was. She died here." "I'm sorry", said Erza. Yona shrugged, "Don't be. She was weak and a fool." The fairies exchanged glances. Though minimal reflections off the eyes was all that could be seen, they still knew what the other was thinking. "Isn't that a little harsh?", ventured Erza. "That's what happens when you rely on others", said Yona coldly. They continued in silence.

Down a different corridor, Natsu's group had come across a cavern of some sort. Natsu's fire reflected off the crystals, making the entire area glow. Strange husks littered the walls. "What is this place?", asked Lucy, breathless. Juvia carefully touched one of the torn husks and it crumbled into dust. Happy had gotten down onto his own paws to help explore. "This one's freezing!", he said. It was the only one left in one piece. Natsu stooped beside it to investigate. A sheen of ice melted next to his flame. The entire thing quivered. Happy darted behind Lucy's leg while Juvia got closer for a better look. "It's a cocoon", she stated. All eyes darted back toward the thing as if to say, "No way!". It was at least twice the size of Happy and bitter cold to the touch. Something hissed nearby. "That's not funny", scowled Lucy. "It wasn't me", replied Natsu. A shadow rose behind Juvia. She slowly turned, afraid of what she'd find. It was another soul stealer, but different from the others they had seen. This one had multiple limbs and something resembling wings. It rattled its winglets and hissed at the group. It loomed over Juvia. Pausing mid attack it sniffed her thoroughly. This one had no eyes of its own. Slowly, the creature backed down, seemingly kneeling. Swallowing her terror, Juvia reached out a trembling hand. When she made contact with the beast, it cooed. "Their queen", said Lucy, recalling the mural. Assuming a more dominant posture, Juvia said, "Show Juvia the way." The beast turned, waiting for the mages to follow. Nervously, they trailed behind the strange creature. It led them through many more tunnels. Then, everything opened up. A huge chamber filled with tunnels, rivers, crystals, and huge waterfall was the center of the colony. Various forms of the beasts stopped their work and stared toward the group. A beast looking much more like the infamous 'soul stealers' approached. Again, that horrid noise filled the air. Lucy, Natsu, and Happy covered their ears. Whatever that sound was, it didn't seem to bother Juvia. She looked to her comrades with a soulful gaze. As the noise faded, the new creature stepped toward the group. The beast that had led them there snatched Juvia without warning, wriggling down the cliff face. The one that remained stood over them with a terrible screech. The ground below their feet caved and they were gone.

Elsewhere, Erza's group had found an odd chamber of their own. Something gooey and smelly covered the rocks. Sacs hung from the ceiling. "Wait", ordered Yona. She'd caught wind of something. Sniffing carefully, she followed her nose toward one of the sacs. Staring at Erza, she said, "This one." With one slice of her blade, the sac ruptured, spilling its contents onto the cave floor. Having adjusted to the dim light, the fairies could make out a familiar shape. Yona scrambled into the disgusting fluids, tearfully clutching two small forms. They had found her exceeds. Taking another look around, Gray was horrified to notice the shadows of bodies in the midst of each hanging sac. One of the tiny felines started coming to. "Yona?", it rasped. "Yes, Ronen, I'm here", she assured. Rani, too, opened her eyes. "Are you guys okay?", asked Yona with concern. The exceeds carefully gained their balance on their own feet. Rani flung off the remnants of the sac in disgust, but said nothing. "Rani, what's wrong?", inquired Yona. "It's no use, Yona. She can't speak", stated Ronen. Tears rolled down the dragon slayer's face. "Should we cut down the rest?", asked Gray, amazed at how many there were. "I wouldn't bother", replied Ronen. "Why not?", inquired Erza. "They're already dead", said the exceed. Erza's eyes grew wide. There had to be hundreds of these things here. How could they all be dead? "I think our magic is the only things that saved us", said Ronen, looking over the broken pieces of his beloved fiddle. Yona grasped Rani's shoulders. Why can't you speak?" The feline cast her face downward. "Rani?", pleaded Yona. Ronen sighed. "They almost killed her. I could see it...", he trailed. "See what?", asked Gray. "Her soul. Those bastards were killing her, sucking out her life force. I jumped on the beast and clawed its eyes. It shrank away and my sister fell, a faint glow seeping into her body. I saved her life, but it stole her most precious possession, her voice", explained Ronen, clearly still shaken. Erza placed a hand over a few of the sacs. Sure enough, they were as cold as the stone around them. They really were all gone. Turning to the group, she said, "We should move on. We still have to meet up with the others." "Others?", repeated Ronen. "What have you done? Do you know where you are?!" Yona grabbed him with a tight hug. "We know." Setting him down, her sad expression won over the stubborn exceed. "Here to finally end this, then?", he asked. Yona nodded. Rani tugged her shirt. Meeting her gaze, she saw her friend was holding something in her tiny paws. Grasping it, she recognized it immediately. Rising, she handed it to Gray. "Give it to your friend. I don't want it." She walked away, searching for the next path. Erza looked at his palm. "A spirit key?" Suddenly things became clear. Yona's view of her sister and Lucy fell into place.

"Owww", whined Lucy. They had landed hard. Glancing up, she knew it had to be at least 200 feet to the dim light that now hovered over them. "Do you mind?", asked Natsu. Realizing she was sitting on his back, she quickly got up. Getting to his feet, he stretched, cracking his back audibly. Glancing around, he said, "Where's Happy?". A faint 'aye' sounded nearby. "Are you okay?", fussed Lucy. Natsu helped him up and the exceed dusted himself off. "Where are we?", he asked. "Do you think Juvia's all right?", inquired Lucy, concerned. "I don't think they'll hurt her", replied Natsu, looking for a way back up. After a moment of quiet, Lucy shyly asked, "How's your back?". Fighting the urge to say something stupid, he simply said, "I've had worse." Shifting a large stone, a slight gust of air flooded into the area. They had found a way out. "No way", said Natsu. "What is it?", asked Lucy. Suddenly surrounded by his friends, the trio looked on in amazement. The ruins of an entire city stretched out below them. "What is this place?", uttered Lucy, awestruck. Seeing no safe way down, she summoned Virgo. Once everyone was on ground level in the ruins, the place seemed even bigger. "Anything else, Hime?", asked Virgo, bowing. "No, that's all for now. Thanks", replied Lucy. With a nod, the spirit returned to her world. Lucy ran her fingers over the stones as they walked. She had seen these markings before at the seaside temple. Most of the buildings had collapsed, but an ancient fort still stood solidly at the center of the city. "Let's check it out!", said Natsu, running ahead. With a sigh, Lucy followed after him. After all, she didn't want to be alone in the dark.

Several hundred yards away, Erza's group emerged from their tunnel. "We can't go down there", said Yona. "More monsters?", asked Erza. "Something like that", replied Yona cryptically. Her foray into these caves as a young girl still held many unpleasant memories. Gray stared hard into the distance. "Did you hear that?", he asked. Erza peered into the gloom. A few tiny forms could made out heading toward the central building. "Someone's missing", observed Yona. "More of your friends?", asked Ronen. Without warning, Rani flew off for a better view. When she again landed on the path, she held up 3 fingers. "Soul stealers?", asked Ronen. She shook her head. "Who do you think got separated?", inquired Gray. It was probably Natsu, he thought. "Who did you see?", asked Erza. Rani pointed at Yona, Gray, and her brother. "One of the girls, then", stated Yona. "Probably the princess", she scoffed. "Or Juvia", said Erza. "We'll find out when we get down there", said Gray, starting the long walk down.

Down in the abandoned city, Natsu kicked the stone sealing off the fort. "What's with these people and big rocks?", he snorted. Peering down from the ledge above the door, Happy said, "I don't see a way in up here, either." "Guys, look", said Lucy. They followed her pointing finger to the movement in the distance. The shine off Erza's armor was easy enough to spot. "It's about time they caught up", said Natsu. "We should just wait for them here", ventured Lucy. Bored, Natsu sat down and ate what food he had brought. Cheeks full, he said, "This place is kinda depressing." Looking around, Lucy got the same feeling. Something here wasn't quite right. Maybe this was where everything started. Or maybe it would be where it ended.

To be continued...


	6. Chapter 6

Induced Silence, chapter 6

Erza's group made their way down the cliff side, through the city, and toward the fort. Natsu, Lucy, and Happy were glad to see their comrades unharmed. "What took you?", taunted Natsu. Ignoring him, Erza asked, "Where's Juvia?". After a moment of silence, Lucy quietly replied, "They took her." Two small forms followed Yona, who had taken her time meandering over. Upon closer inspection, Lucy grinned at the two exceeds. Both were light silver in color with deep green eyes. One wore a red sash fashioned into a dress while the other sported a pair of green shorts and a scar across his nose. Both had piercings in their perked ears. "You found your friends", observed Lucy, happily. Rather than reply, Yona walked passed her and inspected the stone fort. "Don't take it personally", said Ronen, "She can be quite fickle at times." "So I noticed", said Lucy. Happy stepped forward, offering a friendly paw. "I'm Happy! What's your name?" With a firm grip, the silver feline replied, "Ronen. This is my sister, Rani." "Pleased to meet you", said Lucy with a soft smile. Natsu finally turned from the massive stone door and noticed the two. "Glad you two made it", he said with a grin. Behind him, Yona said, "Enough with the touchy feely. How do we get in?". They group turned their focus. "Yona, I recognize this symbol", stated Ronen. She peered at it closely, then grinned. "I got this." Placing her hands flat against the stone, she channeled sea water through the carved grooves. The door glowed, then simply disintegrated. "That takes care of that!", she proclaimed proudly. She went inside without hesitation. "Shouldn't we look for traps or something?", asked Lucy. "Never stopped her before", smirked Ronen, following his friend.

Inside, a tight corridor lead the group into a massive chamber. Doorways encircled the room. "Which one do you want?", inquired Natsu, excited to explore. "It's dangerous to separate. We should at least stay in pairs", stated Erza. "I'm going with Natsu-kun", said Yona, hugging his arm. "There's too many doors for that", supplied Gray. Ronen seemed to be looking for something. "What is it?", asked Lucy. "Just give him a minute. He's a good tracker", stated Yona. Shaking his head, the exceed said, "It's no good. No one's been in here in centuries." Everyone froze at the sound of shifting stone. The floor wasn't moving, nor were the walls or ceiling. "What was that?", asked Happy, nervously. Rani seemed unnerved and stood close to Lucy. Patting her head, the mage assured her everything would be fine. "I didn't think there were any of them left...", ventured Yona. "Any of what?", inquired Gray. "Them", said Yona, pointing. Some kind of living statue stepped forth from every other door. "I thought you said this place was empty!", panicked Lucy. "They're reacting to us", stated Erza, scanning the enemy. "She's right", offered Yona. "These things are old. I mean reeeeally old. They only activate when magic is near." "That suits me just fine", smirked Natsu, fists blazing. The enemy were made of stone, but their weapons certainly weren't. Dust fell from the golums with each step. Their weapons shined, seemingly impervious to time. Dodging a spear swipe, Erza warned the others, "Their weapons are glass. Be careful."

Despite their imposing nature, the mages cleared the statues in little time. "Just what is this place?", panted Lucy, tucking away her whip. "Better question - Where's Yona?", replied Gray. Even her exceeds had seemingly vanished. "She's really not much of a team player, is she?", smirked Natsu. "Did anyone notice them leave?", inquired Erza. "They went that way", said Happy, pointing down one of the halls. "You guys go that way. I'll follow her scent down another path. This place looks pretty big", stated Natsu. Erza glanced to him question. "I'll go with him", volunteered Lucy. Erza was right. They needed to try to stick together. With a nod, the fairies scattered. Gray had completely forgotten about the key he'd been given. He was far too lost in his own thoughts. He didn't trust Yona. Her sporadic behavior seemed suspicious. He also worried for Juvia, despite himself. All he knew for sure was that these creatures, soul stealers or not, had something to do with water magic.

The teams walked for hours with few traces of the person they were looking for. "You don't think she's up something bad, do you?", asked Happy. "I don't know", replied Natsu, concentrating on Yona's scent. They seemed to be getting closer. Lucy was deep in her own thoughts. She really wanted to believe that Yona was innocent, that maybe she wasn't good at interacting with or trusting others, but their own interactions weighed heavily on her mind. "Weak." She was only brought back tot he present by bumping into her partner. "What's wrong? Why did you stop?", she asked. They'd stumbled into a dusty, old wing of the fort. A skeleton in armor stared at them from its post. Slowly entering the room, many more remains were found. An entire family or more had huddled together here, hiding from something, but what? Lucy looked over the bones. A child's skeleton clutched rags tightly, likely a doll before the ravages of time. "What do you think happened here?", she asked quietly. Natsu kneeled down, inspecting a small bottle. With a sniff, he jerked back. "Poison", he said, returning it the dust. Several identical bottles littered the scene around the remains. Lucy fingered a lock of curly, golden hair sentimentally. "Natsu!", cried happy. "Come on", he said, gently pulling Lucy away from the scene. An old hatch stood open overhead. "I guess we go up", ventured the dragon slayer.

Once they alit on the next floor, they quickly realized they were not alone. A soul stealer and several golums stared at them. Lucy clutched her keys, Natsu flared his fists, and Happy hoped for the best. The warriors surrounded them. The creature loomed over the mages. It was different from the wraiths they had seen before. This one seemed to have some kind of exoskeleton and sharp claws. Natsu took on the soul stealer while Lucy called Taurus to take on the golums. Her spirit had taken out all, but one when he heard the scream of his mistress. Lucy held her side, blood spurting between her fingers as her whip fell to the floor. Natsu let his guard down, turning to see what was wrong. The creature took advantage of that split second, landing a firm blow onto his arm that made a crack that echoed throughout the room. He turned back toward the beast, furious. He continued the fight until the thing ran off. Taurus had defeated the last stone warrior and panicked over Lucy. She was on the ground. As she started to lose consciousness, he faded back to his own world. Natsu pressed the wound, trying to stem the flow blood. Lucy cried out in pain. It was deep, very deep. He could actually see her liver. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Hang on."

Erza and Gray had come across their own problems. At the end of their path was a staircase. Problem was, they couldn't get to it. Much of the hall before them had collapsed and was now deep under water. It was simple enough to cross; Gray only had to freeze it. The problem wasn't crossing, though. It was whatever was watching them from the depths. Half way across, the ice beneath their feet shook. They paused and it happened again. Something was ramming from beneath. Before they could reach the stairs, the ice cracked, rocking them into the walls. "What the hell?!", gasped Erza. "There's no way!", said Gray, "That ice was three feet thick!" Another thud and the chunks began to fall away from one another. Erza jumped, tugging Gray along, getting to the stairs just as something huge lunged through the ice where they had been standing. "What was that thing?", he panted. "I don't think we want to know", replied Erza, getting to her feet. "Let's just hope it can't climb." Somewhere on the next floor, a fancy study seemed a dead end. Had they ended up climbing one of the towers? It didn't seem right, but with no windows to be found, it was difficult to tell. Erza felt along the walls, looking for some sort of switch. A brief "Aah!" was all she heard from Gray. Turning around, he was gone. A brick beneath her palm slowly seeped back into place. She tried to press it again, to follow her team mate, but it wouldn't budge. The shuffle of heavy footsteps neared her from behind. Turning, she spotted more of the stone warriors coming her way.

Elsewhere, Gray slid from a well formed slide that dumped him into another hall. He'd landed hard, knocking his skull on the stone floor, but deemed himself all right. Ignoring the pain, he started searching for a reference point. There had to be some way of knowing where he was. He froze at a wretched sound. Lucy's scream penetrated every crevice of the abandoned fort. Each fairy wondered what was wrong. Finding himself close to the sound, Gray ran toward it. A foul smell drifted out from the hall ahead. He cupped his hand over his nose and mouth and continued on. He knew that aroma; It was charred human flesh. He stopped dead in his tracks upon entering the room. Lucy was in the floor, surrounded by her own blood. She was pale and unconscious. Natsu sat beside her, staring into his trembling palm. Lucy's blood dripped down his arm. Gray stormed forward and grabbed Natsu's scarf. Hauling him to eye level, he yelled, "What did you do?!". The dragon slayer's gaze fell as he searched for the words. Before he could respond, Gray send him flying with a firm punch. Surprisingly, the fire mage didn't fight back. Gray kneeled beside Lucy, looking over her battered form. A large burn covered her side. Her abdomen had been badly damaged. His eyes narrowed as he took it in. By this time, Erza had caught up as well. She entered from the opposite side of the room and placed a hand on her shaken friend's shoulder. Finally meeting Gray's gaze, Natsu stated, "I had to stop the bleeding."

Erza crossed the floor and inspected her fallen comrade. The amount of blood present clearly showed Natsu had made the right choice. She sent him an assuring gaze as Gray began to calm. "Who did it?", he asked grimly. Natsu nodded toward the rubble and said, "That soul thing got away", wiping the blood from his lip. "And you didn't go after it?", asked the ice mage, still in shock. "What choice did I have?!", shouted back the salamander. Erza slowly stood and gave them both an icy look. "Enough!", she spat. Turning, she added, "Natsu clearly didn't have a choice. If he'd run off - ..." Silently ceding the point, Gray forced his body to relax. "So now what?", he inquired quietly. Erza had already taken note of everyone's injuries. The team was hurt and exhausted. The chase would have to wait. Despite her own fury, concessions had to be made. "We take care of Lucy", she replied. The boys nodded. "Natsu", called Erza. Glancing up, he knew that look. "All right", he sighed, clasping his broken arm with his bloodied hand. His wounds needed tending. Erza had faired decently. She saw to her own injuries last, as usual. Resetting Natsu's arm wasn't easy. The bone had not only broken, but had twisted out of place as he had continued to fight. His skin showed the sharp end of it outside the muscle for all to see. The air burned the frayed marrow, but he was more concerned over Lucy. Gray had several cuts and a good blow to his head. He silently watched Lucy sleep, oblivious to the blood seeping through his bandage and down his face. Erza took first watch as night settled in. She calmly wrapped each wound, listening for movement. Natsu stared into the fire, still trying to absorb what had transpired. "If only Wendy were here", he thought. He had done what was necessary to save Lucy's life, but would she see it that way when she woke up? He tried to shake the thoughts from his mind. His pensive stare was easily noticed, but no one spoke. They simply waited for tomorrow, when they would get the one who'd done this.

To be continued...


	7. Chapter 7

Induced Silence, chapter 7

The next day came quickly, though this far under ground, it was hard to tell. The fairies rested for what time they could. Something important was hidden in this fort and they had to find out what it was. Natsu was the first to wake. His hazy vision coming into focus gave him a shock. Yona was staring at him from mere inches away, jolting him into wakefulness. Gray, Erza, and Happy jumped at the sound of his surprise. "You lot look like hell", said Yona bluntly. She covered in dust and dirt, apparently having done quite a bit of exploring on her own. Rani stood over Lucy with a sad expression. Sitting up so quickly was a mistake. Natsu's arm throbbed deeply. Instinctively clutching it with his free hand, he glared at his guest. "Want me to take a look at it?", she asked. "I've already done what I could", stated Erza, close behind them. Yona shrugged it off and handed each a bottle. "Fresh water", she explained. They were glad to have fluids, but were still wary of their acquaintance. "Where have you been?", inquired Gray, watching her closely. "Are you seriously still doubting me?", she asked, offended. "You disappeared in the middle of a fight and now two of us are hurt. What do you think?", he retorted. Ronen watched the silent accusations fly without interfering. "So, I guess you really don't care what happened to other friend", said Yona hastily. "You found Juvia?", asked Erza skeptically. "Yeah, I did. You're welcome", said the dragon slayer with a hint of spite. Trying to ease tensions, Erza inquired, "Is she safe?". Yona nodded. Lucy had finally caught her attention. "Looks like she won't be moving around any time soon", she observed. Natsu tensed visibly. He still felt responsible. Yona walked up to Gray and stared him dead in the eye. "You forgot to give her the key, didn't you?" "Key?", asked Natsu. Yona sighed. "If your head wasn't already bandaged, I'd smack it. Give it here", she ordered. Clutching the key, she turned toward Lucy. "You can't wake her yet", said Happy, concerned. "Don't worry", she assured.

She walked to the fallen mage and kneeled beside her. She pressed her fingers to the stone floor and let a small amount of water flow forth. Then, she scratched at the stone, mixing the dried blood in with the fluid. With a deep breath, she dropped the key into the mix and stepped back. Everyone watched in a daze as the 'blood' started bubbling. It bubbled and grew, almost six and half feet tall, taking on a human form. Then, the blood fell away and a man stood there, looking over his hands. He was abnormally pale, looking more like porcelain than skin. Dark bangs hid his eyes from a distance. His clothing seemed almost regal. He just stood there, staring at the blood in his palm. Finally, he looked up, and called out, "Kaur! Where are you? Are you all right?!". He looked around the room, letting his eyes settle on Yonaguni. "Kaur's dead, Valentine", she stated. He looked horrified, then mystified as he put it all together. "Yona-chan, is that you?". She sighed, annoyed. "Turn around, stupid." Doing so, he saw Lucy at his feet. He dropped to his knees and looked her over. He calmly asked, "Was it her blood that called me?". "Yes", replied Yona. The fairies stared in amazement. "Are you a spirit?", inquired Erza. "I didn't think you could use celestial spirit magic", uttered Natsu. "I can't", said Yona. "Valentine here was my sister's ally. He comes without chanting", she explained. "When a maiden's blood touches my door, I come as quickly as I can", stated the spirit, still taking in the situation. He gently placed his hands over the massive burn and closed his eyes. A bright light filled the area. Rani shielded her eyes, but remained beside Lucy. Everyone took a stepped closer when the light faded. "Amazing", whispered Erza. The wound was completely gone. Natsu set his hand on the spirit's shoulder with a warm smile. "Thank you", he said, relieved. Valentine smiled back briefly before coughing up blood. "Hey, are you all right?", asked Gray. The spirit simply wiped the blood from his lips and smiled at them all. Without a word, he set his hand on Natsu's arm and the miracle reoccurred. Impressed, Natsu thanked him again, glad to stretch out of the make shift cast. Valentine now clutched his own arm on the same side. He sent Yona one last smile before returning to the spirit realm. His key now rested on the stones where he had stood.

Lucy came to. Aware everyone was staring at her, she asked, "What happened?". Natsu inspected her closely. Blushing, she pushed him way. "What's wrong with you? Stop that!" Rani handed her Valentine's key with a look that said, "Welcome back." She looked at the key, still dazed. "You almost died", stated Erza. "Ehhh?!" Everything came rushing back. In a panic, she checked her side thoroughly. "But how?", she uttered. "Valentine saved you", offered Happy. "Valentine?", she echoed. She followed Natsu's line of sight back to Yona, who was stubbornly looking away. "We found his key in the caves. I believe it used to belong to Yona's sister", said Ronen. Lucy looked at the key in her hands. It was unlike any other key she had seen before. Her zodiac keys were gold while all others she'd come across were silver, but this one was different; It was pure white. "But I didn't summon anyone", stated Lucy, trying to put it together. "You didn't have to. Apparently he comes of his own accord when exposed to blood", explained Natsu. That made some sense. After all, she was covered in the stuff. "Yona, did you give this to me?", she asked. "Ice boy was supposed to, but like an idiot, he forgot", replied Yona, still not looking toward her. Lucy grinned faintly to herself. That was why she'd been so hard on her. Her sister was a spirit mage. "Hey", called Yona. Turning, Lucy met her gaze. "Be careful. He takes on your injuries, so make sure you thank him next time and don't go calling him for any tiny scratch, either." Lucy nodded. She held the key tightly in her hands. She would thank him for sure. "One more thing", said Yona, walking closer. "Don't get too attached." She walked down the hall to get some air, clearly feeling more than she wanted to. Ronen grinned. "I never met Kaur, but Yona's told us about her. She said her sister fell in love with a spirit. When the soul stealers came and they fled to these caves, Kaur refused to let Valentine see her so desperate. I guess she knew she was dying and didn't want him to suffer the sight...She gave Yona the key and shoved her into the nearest shaft as the creatures closed in on her...At least, that's what I was told." Rani nodded sadly. Lucy held the key closer to her heart, taking it all in. Eventually she said, "I'll take good care of him." Yona listened from a distance. A faint grin appeared as she heard those words.

After resting, the group set out once again. Lucy looked back at the fort in thought as they left. "Weren't we supposed to find something in there?", asked Natsu. "Already got it", smirked Yona. She produced a scroll with a proud smile. Erza and Lucy looked it over with keen interest. Yona kicked loose stones off the path near Gray. Swallowing his pride, he stepped close to her. "Hey." She looked at him coyly. "Thanks for saving Lucy...I was wrong about you", he uttered. Ruining the moment, she put him in headlock and rubbed her knuckles into his hair. "You're not so bad yourself." He was glad that she had avoided his bandages, but still wasn't a fan of the welcome he'd received. "Guys, we got it!", called Lucy. Everyone gathered to hear the information. "From what we can gather, this scroll says that only the queen can end the colony", she explained. "That's great. So, how do we do that?", asked Natsu. "We have no idea", stated Erza. They all looked over the images on the scroll. They were similar to the mural they had found at the temple. "Looks like water purified them somehow", offered Yona. "We'll have to figure it out when we get there. We have to find Juvia first", said Gray. "Aww", teased Yona, "He does care!" "He liiiiiiiiikes her", added Happy. Gray glared at the exceed, but let it drop. "Lets just go", he snorted. "This way", said Yona, trying not to laugh. She led them out of the ruined city and into one of the many tunnels.

As they walked, Lucy was still deep in thought. "That's a weird key, huh?", asked Natsu absently. "I didn't know spirits like that existed", said Happy. "Neither did I", said Lucy, blushing faintly. "I've never seen a key like it", she added. Glancing over her shoulder, Yona said, "Kaur used tell me that it was carved from God's teeth." Small conversation kept their minds busy as they headed for the center of the massive cave system. They knew what kinds of things to expect when got there and weren't looking forward to it. "There", said Yona, halting the group. They looked down into a giant cavern. It was a lower section of the one Natsu and Lucy had found previously. Rainbows danced softly through the myriad of crystals that grew from the walls. The waterfalls overhead poured into a basin below. A small isthmus led to a throne that sat just before the rushing waters. In it sat Juvia. She looked like she was in some sort of trance. Silk fibers wrapped tightly around her, holding her to throne. Soul stealers of various shapes and sizes skittered everywhere. A few with wings huddled around some of the tunnels. Some with the armor like exoskeleton hovered near Juvia. "They must be the breeders and soldiers", said Yona. "That means the ones we saw above ground were just workers", added Erza. "So, what do you want to do?", inquired Yona. Juvia was their friend. They should be the ones to save her. "Will you actually stick to a plan?", asked Gray with a smirk. "When it suits me", she replied playfully. "All right", said Erza, "Here's what we'll do."

To be continued...


	8. Chapter 8

Induced Silence, chapter 8

The fairies quietly descended the rocks toward their bound guild mate. Yona stayed hidden at a higher level, ready to alert them should something go awry. Natsu, Lucy, and Happy went around the left of the chamber while Erza and Gray went around the right. A few of the creatures seemed to sense something was off causing a ripple effect in the ranks. The beasts with wings fled down the tunnels. The armored creatures gathered near the isthmus. The workers, those seen above ground, stalked the cavern, trying to pinpoint the mages' scent. Over head, Rani and Ronen flew, dropping small stones to confuse the beasts. Erza and Gray were first to reach the water fall. Gray silently entered the water, making his way toward the throne. Erza stood at the ready to defend him. At the other side of the falls, Lucy and Happy made their way across while Natsu watched their backs. Happy rode atop Lucy's head, keeping a weary eye on the creatures. Behind the throne, Gray helped Lucy out of the water. They quietly made their way around front of it. The guarding beasts had their focus in the opposite direction. If they could remain silent, they could slip out without a problem. Lucy grasped Juvia's hand, trying to jar her from her trance. Her skin was like ice. Her eyes glowed eerily. "Juvia", whispered Gray. He reached out to tap her face. A sickening 'crunch' sprang forth and the head fell into her lap. "Eeeeehhh!", screamed Happy. The guards turned immediately. Lucy clutched Happy to her chest. "Look, those aren't her clothes", she whispered. It was truly astounding. The queen from the mural was the exact image of Juvia. At some point, the creatures bound her here, trying to sustain her with gathered souls. Strange orbs spewed from the neck of the corpse. They quivered and twinkled as if they were fire flies. Gray took stance in front of Lucy. Natsu and Erza closed in behind the beasts.

One of the armored creatures managed to get a hold of Erza's arm. Her answer was simple - remove the arm from the offending creature. It took more effort than she had planned, but she managed to sever the limb. The so called workers, or soul stealers, were making their way toward the fairies. They were faced with armored monsters in front and wraiths that could erase their existence in back. Lucy called Aquarius with the pool that surrounded where they stood. As usual, she was not amused to be pulled into battle. Several of the armored creatures washed into the basin and sank with their heavy bodies. Erza faced the rest while Gray joined Natsu to fend off the encroaching horde. "Behind you!", shouted Yona. She waved frantically, trying to point something out. Lucy turned. Something hazy was behind the rushing falls. Trusting her friends to keep her safe, she ran for it. Some kind of crystalline cocoon stood there. Inside it - the real Juvia. She didn't look good. She was pale and contorted. Lucy banged on the surface of the pod, trying to get a response. Nothing.

The boys were being overrun. For each soul stealer they knocked down, it seemed four more crept out from the tunnels. One held Gray off the ground by his throat, seizing the smallest opening. It gaped wide and tugged at his essence. A blast of sea water sent the beast flying. Gray coughed, relieved to have his air way back. His aura shimmered as it settled back in. Yona leapt down from Ronen and Rani's paws and helped him up. He grinned, ready to thank her, but nothing came out. His voice was gone, just like Rani. Annoyed, he took it out on the brethren of the creature that had stolen his voice. Just as the numbers started to thin, the pool around the throne began to shiver. The ground beneath the mages trembled. Something was coming up, something big. Everyone stared in amazement as it broke the water's surface. It was huge, much bigger than the others. Its form looked something like a giant centipede. Several arms and wings shook in fury at the invaders. The floating souls from before gravitated toward it. Everyone had to brace themselves against the powerful suction of the thing's massive jaws. Erza's sword was ripped from her hands. The exceeds came crashing down. Natsu readied his dragon's roar, but found that it did little to discourage the beast. It focused on him, angered by his attack.

While the chaos ensued nearby, Lucy tried to figure out how to free her friend. Happy watched the fight nervously. With determination, Lucy summoned Virgo. Despite the spirit's abilities and several attempts, nary a scratch was made on the case the held Juvia hostage. "Would you like me to try again, Hime?" Lucy shook her head. They couldn't break it and they couldn't tunnel in from beneath. With an apologetic bow, Virgo returned to her world.

The others fought hard. The giant creature caused tremors, causing underground crystals to burst forth. Erza had changed armors and attacked it with everything she had. It grabbed in her in its claws, unafraid. Struggling to get free, she readied to requip something better, but the beast had other plans. It swallowed her whole. "Erza!", yelled Natsu. Yona stepped into the water, getting better control. It was fresh water, but it would have to do. She summoned all her strength and hit the thing at the back of its head. It cried out in pain. With a grin, she hollered, "Natsu! Let's go!" Silently joining in, Gray made himself the bait. The creature clawed at him wildly, making a few deep scratches across his torso. Ignoring the bleeding, he used his ice to confuse the monster with reflections. Natsu and Yona teamed up, determined to take out the creature. In mid attack, a horrible noise emanated from the beast. It was twenty times worse than the sounds they'd heard earlier. Everyone fell to their knees, including Lucy. She covered her ears, but the sound was so intense, it made her feel ill. As the horrid noise echoed throughout the tunnels, she heard a nearby 'crack'. She glanced up and was relieved to see the chrysalis breaking. Water poured forth. As the thing emptied, Juvia slid down to the floor. Lucy dug her fingers in and tugged with all her strength. Her fingers bled from the sharp edges, but she didn't care. She had to get Juvia out. Pulling against her own tears, she was surprised to see another set of hands jump in to help. It was Loke. With a grin, they pulled together and the case shattered.

Yona was the least affected by the screech, so she recovered the quickest. "On your feet, Salamander!", she ordered. Shaking it off, he rejoined her for their combined attack. They both let loose their roar. Yona's sea water and Natsu's fire combined into a hell blaze of steam and super heated liquid. It crashed into the beast, boring a hole straight through its head. They rushed forward to finish it off. Gray created swords of ice to hack into the thing's abdomen, freeing Erza. Half way through its hide, something started moving. Erza had cut her way out of its stomach. She was coated in gore, which now covered Gray as well. Ignoring the 'ick' factor, he offered a hand to haul her up to ground level. Thousands of glowing orbs drifted out from the corpse of the once imposing monstrosity. Everyone grinned with relief at the sight of Lucy supporting Juvia as the girls made their way out from behind the falls. What remained of the soul stealers stood transfixed at the sight of her. Juvia looked over the exhausted faces of her comrades. She knew what she had to do. Using all she had, she managed to stand on her own two feet. The beasts watched her in awe. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When her eyes opened once more, a cold determined look shone from them. One by one, the creatures started to fall, seemingly of their own accord. A few popping sounds could be heard from the ones closest to the group, but it still made little sense. Yona grinned. She knew exactly what had happened. She lunged forward to catch Juvia as she collapsed. "You did good", she smiled. Juvia held her head, still dazed. Erza wiped the slime from her eyes and assured Natsu she was fine. He gave her a smile that said, "I'd expect nothing less". "Gray-sama", called Juvia. Kneeling before her to meet at eye level, he tucked the loose strands of her hair behind her ear. He offered a kind grin. "Are you all right?", she asked. He nodded, unable to answer.

It seemed a chain reaction echoed through the cave system. When the group made their way back to the surface, every creature they passed was dead. Gray carried Juvia while others made their own way. Passing yet another chamber of corpses, Natsu asked, "What did she do?". Juvia was fast asleep, content in her beloved's arms. "Isn't it obvious?", teased Yona. Erza smiled faintly, having figured it out. "You're cute, but you're not too bright", said Yona. Gray smirked at that comment. Yona sighed, annoyed she had to explain it at all. "Look, remember how those things always had that mist shroud?" "Yeah", nodded Natsu. "Well, it's basic manipulation of water", explained Yona. "Those things could use water magic?", inquired Lucy. Yona nodded. "So, it was simple enough. Their 'queen' just had to give the order to them." "What order?", asked Natsu, still confused. "They imploded their own brains", stated Erza. "A handy trick. Can't imagine where she learned it", smiled Ronen. When they hit the surface, daylight greeted them. It felt good to be back in the open air. The glowing orbs were steadily floating up from the multiple cave entrances. "All those souls...They're finally free", said a tiny voice. Everyone turned in amazement. It was Rani. She held her throat in shock. "It's back!", said Ronen, hugging her tightly. "One of the orbs must have been her voice", offered Erza. Just then, everyone turned to stare at Gray. He shook his head.

By sundown, the flow of fleeing souls had stemmed, but was still going. "There must be thousands", observed Lucy. The group had made camp not far from the caves. Juvia slept near the fire, recovering her strength. Gray watched over her, deep in thought. "Do it", whispered Yona, over his shoulder. He jumped to the side in surprise. He sent her a questioning look. Taking on a sneaky expression, she said, "You were thinking about kissing her, weren't you?". He shook his head and frantically waved his hands. She laughed. "You're too easy", she teased, scruffing his hair. She sat beside him and sighed. "You were worried, though. You have to admit that much, at least." His expression made her chuckle. "All right, all right. If looks could kill", she laughed. "Gray-sama?", whispered Juvia, still half asleep. She sat up and hazily looked around. "Before you ask, Lucy saved you", stated Yona. Juvia nodded. She sort of remembered that part. "What about the creatures?", she inquired. Gray and Yona exchanged glances. "They won't bother anyone any more", replied the dragon slayer. "What's wrong?", asked Juvia, concerned. "He lost his voice. It'll come back, though...Probably."

On the other side of the fire, Lucy watched them with a soft smile. She snapped out of it as Natsu sat next to her and offered her a grilled fish. Accepting it, she argued with herself. "Lucy." She looked up at the call her name. Natsu was staring right at her. "You know you can't take anything she says seriously", he taunted. Lucy nodded and slowly picked at her food. Trying to her ignore her red cheeks, she ate and hoped the subject would pass. Nearby, Happy danced with the other exceeds. Erza clapped the tune while Rani sang. She really did have a lovely singing voice. "Don't forget me!", yelled Yona, joining into the festivities.

Gray stared at the glowing orbs as they made their way to the heavens. "It's really pretty", said Juvia shyly. "Yeah, it is", he replied. He grinned to himself, glad his voice had returned. Fidgeting with her fingers, Juvia asked, "May Juvia sit closer?". After everything that had happened, he didn't argue. She rested against his shoulder with the sweetest of smiles and for once, he didn't push her way.

A few days later, Yona was seeing the fairies off. Her village was still in shambles. "It'll be awfully quiet here now", said Rani sadly. "It's a shame the calm isn't natural", sighed Ronen. "I don't think you'll have to worry about silence for long with this one around", teased Natsu, playfully hugging Yona. "That's true", grinned Ronen. "What will you do now?", asked Erza. "I dunno. Maybe let the other villages know its safe now", shrugged Yona. "That doesn't really sound like your kind of work", taunted Gray. Yona turned and scanned the area. What would she do now? Everyone she knew was gone. No one was around to need her. Her unusually sad expression didn't last long. Lucy set a friendly hand upon her shoulder. "I know somewhere you might fit in", she grinned. Yona turned to face the others. Everyone had the same goofy, inviting smile. Trying to hide her tears, she said, "I don't think you guys could handle me long term." Ronen cleared his throat, a sure sign he had something to say. Yona looked him flatly. "What is it?", she sighed. "There's no one here, Yona; Absolutely nothing left for us." "Just bad memories", added Rani. "And?", she said stubbornly. "It might be worth our while to explore some foreign shores", said Ronen. Giving in, she laughed. "I get it. Maybe we'll see the world for a while, okay?". The exceeds nodded. "If we get bored, maybe I'll look you guys up", said Yona, faintly blushing. "I saw that", teased Gray. She stuck her tongue out at him in response. "Take better care of Juvia, all right?" He nodded. "And princ-...Lucy, look after Valentine." "Of course", she replied with a grin.

An hour later, they were gone. Yona skipped rocks over the breaking waves of the ocean. "Well, Kaur, I think I found him a good home", she said. "I think she'd be proud", stated Ronen. "She'd probably try to braid my hair or something stupid like that", replied Yona sarcastically. "You guys ready to go?" She looked down at her friends. Rani had a few small bundles packed. "Let's get out of here", she smiled. She took up her bundles and she and her exceeds made off for somewhere that didn't house such awful memories. Well, maybe they weren't all bad. After all, she did make some new friends.

The End


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